J Exchange Visitor Status Violations

In addition to the requirements of ALL non-U.S. Citizens discussed here all foreign national exchange visitors who are sponsored by LSUHSC in J-1 or J-2 status must comply with the following. J-1 Students must also meet the additional Academic Requirements discussed here.

Failure to comply with the following will be considered violations of J Exchange Visitor status, and will result in appropriate action by OIS up to, and including, program termination:

Report Address Changes to the Office of International Services (OIS)

U.S. federal regulations require all J-1s to report a change of address within 10 days of the address change to the OIS .  The U.S. federal government requires J-1s to report this directly to OIS. OIS is required to provide this and other scholar data to the federal government electronically.  No other university office is authorized by the federal government to process this data, though other offices may also need to be notified of this change. Reporting an address change to the U.S. Postal Service, Human Resources or to your Department does NOT fulfill the obligation to report directly to OIS for reporting in SEVIS.

22 C.F.R. § 62.77(b) states "An exchange visitor (and the accompanying spouse and any dependent children) who failed to submit a change of current U.S. address as required under §62.63 is in violation of the Exchange Visitor Program regulations and is not eligible for reinstatement. The Department will deny any such application for reinstatement."

Report Departure Date and Reason to OIS

Periodically, J-1s leave the university early or unexpectedly due to a variety of reasons. U.S. federal regulations require J-1s to inform their advisor in the Office of International Services if they or any sponsored dependents plan to permanently leave LSU HSC-New Orleans before the expiration date of their DS-2019 form as well as the reason for doing so.

Report Changes in Program to OIS

J-1s must notify the OIS whenever there is a change in their program activity or program dates. An updated DS-2019 may be required.

Abide by Employment Regulations

J-1 scholars may conduct their specified program activity only at LSU HSC New Orleans unless specifically authorized ahead of time by OIS to conduct their research at another site or give a lecture or consultation at another institution or organization.  J-1s must receive permission from the OIS ahead of time if invited to speak or consult at another institution or organization (Incidental Employment Authorization) or to perform additional/different activity for another department/school within LSUHSC. J-1 students must abide by the regular employment regulations.

Maintain Adequate Health Insurance

J-1s must maintain adequate health, medical evacuation and repatriation insurance for themselves and any dependents in J-2 status throughout their stay in the U.S.

Apply for an Extension Prior to the DS-2019 Expiration

J-1s must apply for an extension before their DS-2019 form expires if they intend to stay at LSU HSC New Orleans past the expiration on their current form. J-1s in the Research Scholar or Professor categories currently have a maximum of five years to complete their J-1 program. Short-term scholars have 6 months, and no extensions are available. The J-2 dependents' program duration cannot exceed that of the J-1.

Receive Transfer Authorization Prior to Leaving LSU HSC New Orleans

J-1s must receive authorization from the OIS before leaving LSU HSC New Orleans in order to transfer to another institution.

Depart the U.S. within 30 Day Grace Period

J-1s must depart the U.S. within 30 days of DS-2019 expiration date or program end date, whichever is earlier, unless they have applied for a change of status with the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services.

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Reinstatement

Exchange Visitors (and any sponsored dependents) may be eligible to apply to the Department of State for Reinstatement after certain types of status violations

22 CFR 62.45(e) states "The following are substantive violations or infractions of the regulations in this part by the exchange visitor which require [application] for reinstatement to valid program status:

(1) Failure to maintain valid program status for more than 120 days after the end date on the current Form DS-2019;

(2) If a student, failure to maintain a full course of study (as defined in §62.2) without prior consultation with [OIS] and the exchange visitor's academic advisor."

 

Per 22 CFR 62.45(f), DOS will NOTconsider requests for reinstatement when an exchange visitor has:

• Knowingly or willfully failed to obtain or maintain the required insurance;

• Engaged in unauthorized employment;

• Been suspended or terminated from the most recent exchange visitor program;

• Failed to maintain valid program status for more than 270 calendar days;

• Received a favorable recommendation from DOS on an application for waiver of section 212(e) of the Immigration and Nationality Act; or,

• Failed to pay the SEVIS I-901 fee.

​​​​​​​If you feel you may meet the requirements for Reinstatement, please schedule an appointment with OIS to discuss your situation.